Raven Baxter facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Raven Baxter
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Baxter in 2020
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| Other names | Raven the Science Maven |
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| Employer | Buffalo Public Schools, Erie Community College |
Raven Baxter is an American science communicator and STEM educator. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. She is known for teaching science in fun ways on social media. She uses the name Raven the Science Maven online. She started sharing science videos in 2017.
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Learning and Degrees
Raven Baxter studied biology at Buffalo State College. She earned her first degree in 2014 and a master's degree in 2016. For her master's project, she studied how protein folding works in tiny worms called Caenorhabditis elegans.
In 2021, she earned her Ph.D. from the University at Buffalo. A Ph.D. is the highest university degree. Her studies focused on teaching science using Hip-Hop music. She even won an award for her excellent work.
Her Career Journey
While studying for her master's degree, Raven worked as a substitute teacher. She taught in Buffalo Public Schools. Later, she worked in drug discovery at AMRI Global. She shared her experiences as a Black woman in science research in an article.
Raven also taught biology at Erie Community College. She says this experience changed her career path. While getting her Ph.D., she helped students as an academic adviser at Buffalo State.
Sharing Science with Others
In 2020, Raven was asked to speak at a big science communication event called SciComm2020. She tweeted an idea for a TV show called "Nerdy Jobs." This show would be like "Dirty Jobs" but about science careers.
Hank Green, a famous science communicator, saw her tweet. He offered to help fund a test episode for her idea. Also in 2020, Fortune Magazine named her one of the "40 Under 40 in Health." This award recognized her as a rising leader in healthcare.
New Projects and Recognition
In January 2021, Raven launched her own clothing line. It's called Smarty Pants Clothing and has a STEM theme. She also gave a lecture on leadership and communication in 2021.
That same year, Raven and another Ph.D. student started the #BlackInSciCom and #BlackInNano Twitter hashtags. This was part of their #BlackInX project. It aimed to make Black scientists more visible. She also worked with the National Center for Science Education. They made videos to teach students about climate change.
In 2022, Raven received several honors. Ebony Magazine called her a Power 100 Trailblazer in STEM. Forbes Magazine included her in their "30 Under 30" list for Science. This was for her amazing work in science communication, especially through rapping. She also received a Woman of Distinction Award. This award came from the American Association of University Women.
As of 2024, she works for Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. She works remotely, meaning from home.
Music and Science
Raven started making science education videos in 2017. She uses the name "Raven the Science Maven." She uses her social media to fight against wrong information. This includes false ideas about COVID-19 and vaccines.
In 2021, she released "Big Ole Geeks." This was a fun version of a popular song. She also made "Wipe It Down," a parody song with safety tips about COVID-19. Her song "The Antibody Song" became very popular. It was a parody of another hit song. When a famous singer shared wrong information about vaccines, Raven shared her own rap song. Her song explained how vaccines work.
Personal Life
In May 2024, Raven was buying a condo in Virginia Beach. Her real estate agent told her the seller changed their mind. The seller found out Raven was Black and decided not to sell. Raven shared this news on Twitter. People advised her to file discrimination claims. She did so with the Virginia Fair Housing Office and a US government department. Later, the seller changed her mind again, and the sale was expected to go through.
Awards
- 2022 Woman of Distinction Award from the American Association of University Women
- Ebony Magazine Power 100 Trailblazer in STEM
- 2022 Named to Forbes Magazine's 30 Under 30 in Science
- 2020 Named to Fortune Magazine's 40 Under 40 in Health
- 2018 Arthur A. Schomburg Fellowship, the University at Buffalo
